


I come in late at night and in the morning I just lay in bed

by halcyonlauren



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Baseball, Best Friends, Cooking, Family Fluff, Friendship, M/M, Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-12 08:55:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29257830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/halcyonlauren/pseuds/halcyonlauren
Summary: A reflection on Ian's interactions with different Milkoviches over the years of his life.
Relationships: Ian Gallagher/Mickey Milkovich
Comments: 5
Kudos: 52





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [melwritesthings](https://archiveofourown.org/users/melwritesthings/gifts).



> this is a fic written as a gift for melwritesthings for their birthday, please be kind

Ian Gallagher stretched his arms and neck after being hunched over his homework for the past hour and 45 minutes. The sudden movement caused his papers, notebooks and pen which had been resting on his lap to fall onto the floor of his best friend and fake girlfriend Mandy Milkovich's bedroom floor. From where she sat on the opposite side of the bed from Ian, Mandy made no effort to catch the falling objects, but merely looked on with mild interest. 

“Sorry.” Ian said sheepishly as he picked up his things, setting them back on the bed.

“S’cool,” Mandy shrugged. “We were due for a homework break anyway. I thought my eyeballs were gonna glaze over if I kept staring at the math pages. When am I ever gonna need to use fractions, ya know?”

In his head Ian thought of a few examples of where she might need to use fractions but the last time he tried to answer one of her rhetorical questions she’d socked him in the arm and called him a nerd so instead he just nodded in agreement.

Mandy got off her bed, stretching her arms while yawning. When she was done she smiled at Ian, her eyeliner from the day already smudged from where she had rubbed at her eyes earlier.

She walked out of her bedroom towards the kitchen, and Ian followed; their homework left behind for the moment.

“You hungry? Mom made vareniki.”

“Sure. ...what’s vareniki?” 

“It’s like dumplings but Ukrainian. You eat them with sour cream.”

A few minutes later they sat across from each other in the dining area dipping their vareniki in sour cream on paper plates, drinking cheap cans of soda. 

Ian looked around the Milkovich house. 

“Where is everyone?”

“Oh. Mom took Colin and Iggy to visit Mickey in juvie.”

Ian nodded, trying to seem nonchalant. She didn’t need to know that he had visited mickey himself just two days ago.

“So they’ll be back probably later tonight.”

“You didn’t wanna go with them?”

“We had school. Iggy and Colin didn’t, so they went. Don’t worry. I’ll go see him on the weekend.”

Ian liked Laura. He didn’t know what had happened to Colin and Iggy's mom, but their stepmother Laura, who was Mickey and Mandy's mom, he thought she was cool, even if he hadn’t spent a lot of time around her. 

She wasn’t around much, always going in and out on errands taking one or all of the Milkovich siblings with her to get them out of the house. Once Ian had joined her and Mandy on a trip to buy groceries, and she had bought him a bag of gummy worms for no reason other than to be nice.

Suddenly a loud meow was heard from somewhere in the house.

“When did you guys get a cat?”

“Technically we’ve always had a cat but...not really.”

Ian furrowed his brows trying to understand.

Mandy rolled her eyes then called out into the house, 

“Here, kitty!”

A small cat covered in grey fur with white markings came into the room, meowing up at them. Mandy scooped the cat up, petting its fur.

“You may have seen her sitting on the porch outside. She’s a stray and comes and goes as she pleases, but she keeps coming back here so it’s more like she picked us as her humans. See the white thing around her neck? I got that for her, it’s a special flea collar. Colin and Iggy leave food out for her whenever she’s around, and I brush her fur whenever she needs the extra grooming.”

Ian reached across the table to scritch the cat’s head and ears. The cat closed her eyes, purring contentedly at the attention. 

“She’s cute. Does she have a name?”

“Kitty Milkovich.”

Ian grinned, that was an adorable name for the cat.

“Cool.”

“Yeah, Mickey named her. Oh but don’t tell him I told you that, he’s obsessed with maintaining his tough guy image.”

Ian bit into the last of his vareniki, trying to hide his smile as Mandy cooed at Kitty Milkovich before setting her back on the floor. He wished Mickey was out of juvie now, just so he could see him with Kitty Milkovich, his heart would probably burst at the seams. 

After they had finished their homework, Ian gave Mandy a goodbye hug, and gave Kitty Milkovich a goodbye pet as it lay across the wooden planks of the Milkovich porch.


	2. Chapter 2

Months had passed and Ian hadn’t thought much about the cat or Laura Milkovich, who seemed to have disappeared one day with none of the other Milkoviches mentioning her. Ian didn’t ask about where she had gone, getting the sense that whatever answer he’d be given wouldn’t be a good one, and no one would want to talk about it anyway. 

When Monica had been home for a brief time she went with them to one of Carl's football games. Ian tried to be happy that she was there to support his little brother along with the rest of the family, and he did have a good time cheering him on with them. But still in the back of his mind he thought about how Monica was never there for any of his little league games or Lip’s for that matter. Frank had been there a couple times, but only to drink beer in the stands, not to cheer them on. 

A week after Monica had run off again, Ian was laying in bed trying to get to sleep; he remembered a time he had been 9 years old playing little league with other neighborhood kids for the first time; that had mainly involved them learning how to throw the ball to each other on the field. 

On the bleachers, stood his siblings. Lip, who was 11, was helping Fiona who was 16 at the time, with their new little sister and brother Debbie and Carl, who were 4 and 3 respectively, and who kept throwing their toys on the ground from their strollers; laughing at Fiona and Lip who kept picking their things up. 

The coach had called for a break, Ian ran over to his siblings, reaching into Fiona's backpack to grab one of the sandwiches she had prepared. 

“Hi, sweet face! Are you having fun?”

Ian nodded at Fiona, his mouth full of peanut butter and strawberry jam.

“Esh sho mush fun! Dij yhou schee how far I shrew-”

“Hey. Don’t talk with your mouth full. Finish eating first. And yes I saw how far you threw the ball. Lip, honey, you wanna play too?”

“No.” he replied flatly.

Fiona shook her head with a smile, but in an instant Ian saw her frown at something in the distance.

“Oh, hell. Milkoviches. Stay with me, monkeys.”

Ian looked in the direction Fiona had been frowning, he saw a young, thin, very short woman in an old floral dress and ratty sneakers walking up to the baseball field, a bright smile on her face as she carried 9 year old Mandy Milkovich on her hip, the little girl was dressed in a matching floral dress with strappy sandals. The young, thin woman was chatting at her as Mandy held onto her, being gently jostled by the woman’s movements, keeping her eyes on the grass the woman walked on. 

Ian had never seen this woman before but she seemed like a nice big sister, he didn’t understand why Fiona was bothered, until he noticed Mandy’s older brothers Colin and Iggy trailing behind her, shoving at each other and kicking up clods of dirt; both of them wore clothes with grass stains already in them, and he could see 11 year old Mickey Milkovich in a little league uniform carrying a bat, walking closely next to the woman, holding on tightly to her dress with his other hand, a scowl on his face the entire time.

The small woman walked up to the coach, who seemed to regard her and the Milkovich boys she showed no attempt at controlling with unease. There was a brief discussion Ian couldn’t hear from the stands, but it seemed to end in the woman’s favor as she directed Colin and Iggy towards the outfield where they ran, continuing to shove at each other. The other adults watched the young Milkovich woman warily, no one made any attempt to talk to her. But she didn’t seem to care, her smile never leaving her face. She looked around, and made eye contact with Fiona. 

“Shit.” Fiona muttered through gritted teeth. She waved the woman over with a fake smile on her face.

Even as a child Ian was aware that his family was looked down on by the rest of the South Side because of how awful his parents and their extended families are. The only family that was looked down on more than the Gallaghers were the Milkoviches who were worse off than everyone. Poor, dirty, violent, and mean, Ian and Lip had been taught by Fiona to avoid the Milkoviches at all cost.

And yet here was one making her way up to Fiona and her siblings, with Mickey and Mandy continuing to cling to her.

“Hi! It’s so nice out, isn’t it? Perfect weather for the children to play in.”

The woman spoke with a slight european accent, her voice clear and youthful. Ian could see that her thick, wavy black hair was so long it went all the way down her back, falling behind her like a curtain. She had the same pale almost milky complexion that Mickey and Mandy had, and her large eyes were the same bright blue color as theirs. 

“Yup. very nice out.” Fiona agreed.

“I am Laura.” the woman said with a grin.

“Fiona.” Fiona responded, pointing to herself. 

“And these are my siblings, Lip, Ian, Debbie and Carl.”

Laura smiled and waved hello at all of them. 

Laura spoke in a language to Mandy that Ian didn’t understand, giving her a small kiss on the cheek. She turned back to Fiona, smiling at her. 

“Did we miss much?”

“Ah. no. no, the uh, the kids were just practicing their pitching throws, the break should be over any minute.”

“That’s good to hear! We didn’t have the car, I was worried we’d be too late, and I had signed Mickey up and everything!” 

She ruffled Mickey's hair, Ian watched as he continued to scowl and pout even as he allowed his hair to be messed with, making no attempt to try to shove her hand away. Ian thought about how his first interaction with the Milkovich boy had been in 3rd grade when he’d asked for a pencil and Mickey had told him that he’d stab him if he ever talked to him again. Ian had successfully gone without talking to him since then, and he wondered if Mickey would keep good on his threat if he tried to say hello to him right now, seeing as there was nothing around them he could be stabbed with.

“Mickey.” Laura talked to him, speaking in the same foreign language as she had done with Mandy, trying to get him to let go of her dress.

“He not excited to play today?” Fiona asked, watching her struggle even as she kept Mandy balanced on her hip with one arm.

“All he talks about at home all week is baseball and how he wants to swing the bat, run the bases. I sign him up, pay for the uniform, now all he wants is to stay by my side. Mickey, my little zaychik, it’s alright, I’ll be here watching with Mandy, we won’t go anywhere, it’s just us today, remember? Look at Colin and Iggy, they’re already having fun.”

Ian and his siblings looked at the outfield where Colin and Iggy were throwing baseballs at each other with the clear intent to cause bruises.

Mickey didn’t say anything, and continued to not look anywhere except at the ground.

The coach called for the end of the break, and the other players swarmed back onto the field. 

Mickey refused to join them, holding onto Laura’s dress.

Fiona leaned down to Ian, wiping his face with a napkin, taking the crusts from his eaten sandwich from him and throwing both away in a nearby trash can.

“Hey. You wanna see if you can get him to play?”

Ian smiled at her, then took a step towards Mickey who eyed him with suspicion.

“I brought a baseball. You want me to throw it at you so you can practice your swing?”

He held out Lip's old baseball as proof, and saw Mickey loosen his grip on Laura's floral dress as his curiosity got the better of him, and his scowl disappeared. There wasn’t a smile, but it was something. He nodded at Ian, letting go of Laura at last, and he followed Ian down the steps of the bleachers.

They played together, every once in a while Ian looked into the stands to see Fiona talking and laughing with Laura as Lip and Mandy played with Debbie and Carl. He got that the Milkoviches weren’t liked on the South Side, but they couldn’t be all bad. Mickey hadn’t threatened him once as they threw the baseball and took turns with the bat, and Laura was the nicest woman Ian had ever seen, almost as nice as Fiona.

At the end of the day, Ian and Mickey ran over to where Fiona and Laura were, Lip had everything packed up, and Fiona handed Laura a few leftover ziploced sandwiches.

“Thank you! This should tide the little ones over until I can get dinner made at home.”

“Oh, you do all the cooking at your place too?”

“If I don’t cook, who else will feed them?” Laura asked, gesturing to Colin, Iggy, Mickey and Mandy as they hovered around her. 

The two of them picked up Debbie and Carl's strollers, carrying them down the steps. Lip carried Fiona's backpack, and held Mandy's hand as they followed them along with Ian, Mickey, Colin and Iggy.

“I am glad I had my ID with me, you were right, a beer at a baseball field does have a kick to it!” Laura laughed.

“I can’t believe you’re old enough to legally drink, you look like you’re my age.” Fiona replied.

The group made their way back towards the neighborhood, Fiona and Laura continued their conversation, pushing Debbie and Carl's strollers as the other kids walked around them. 

“Ha ha ha, I know, no one ever believes me when I tell them I’m 23. I don’t get out of the house much, this neighborhood is still new to me.”

Fiona smiled at her.

“Well, I think Mickey and Mandy are lucky to have you as their big sister.”

Laura laughed.

“I’m not their sister, I am their mother.”

Fiona stopped in her tracks and looked over at Laura, the surprise evident on her face. Laura stopped pushing the stroller to look back at Fiona, for the first time since Ian had seen her, the smile left her face.

“You’re their mother?”

“Yes.”

“But..those two are lip and Ian's age. And you’re 23.”

“That’s right.”

Ian watched as Fiona did the mental math in her head, her expression going from confusion to horror. He tugged on her overalls. She looked down at him.

“Fi? Can we go home now?”

That seemed to snap her out of it, she nodded, biting her lip and wiping tears from her eyes.

“Sure thing, sweet face.”

Fiona turned back to Laura, who was smiling at her again.

“Hey um. We uh...if you or the kids ever need anything or a place to stay, our house is just down the street right there, at the end.” She pointed in the direction where the Gallagher house stood.

“You’re very kind! But we’ll be alright. See you at the next practice!”

“Yeah, but-”

“Bye!” 

Laura turned on her heels, walking briskly towards the Milkovich place, her kids trailing behind her. It seemed like she couldn’t wait to get away. Ian didn’t get why. He thought she and his sister were getting along. Fiona sighed, wrapping an arm around Ian in a half hug.

“Lip? Help push Debbie's stroller for me.”

After they had gotten home and Ian had showered, he helped Lip put Debbie and Carl down in their playpens and helped Fiona make a dinner of mac and cheese with chicken tenders she had gotten at half price at the store the other day. As they ate dinner later that night, he saw the same expression on Fiona's face that she had when she’d found out Laura was Mickey and Mandy's mother. He wondered why she was thinking about them still, and why she seemed so sad. She shook her head, and went back to eating.

It hadn’t been until Ian was much older and had Mandy as a best friend, did he become more aware of how the world was; especially the world the milkoviches inhabited, that he realized why Laura Milkovich’s existence made Fiona feel so sad.


	3. Chapter 3

“Good morning Mr. Milkovich.”

“Morning, Mr. Gallagher.”

Ian had been married to Mickey for three years, and even though it hadn’t exactly been smooth sailing, they were still here. They were still together. Still married, still in love, still making a life together. Ian kissed Mickey every time he got the chance, his heart rushing as his husband kissed him back, wrapping his arms around him, prolonging every romantic moment they gave each other.

“Hey! Some of us are trying to eat breakfast in peace.”

Ian and Mickey looked at Liam, who rolled his eyes and shook his head in exaggerated annoyance from his spot at the dining room table in their new home. Reluctantly Ian pulled out of Mickey's embrace but gave his husband a quick smack on the ass as Mickey walked over to the coffee machine.

“Liam, when you’re older, you’ll understand.” Ian told him.

“I’m a teenager, and I understand that you two can’t go two minutes without touching each other.”

“He says that like it’s a bad thing.” Mickey states as he hands Ian a fresh mug of coffee.

Ian smiles at his husband as he pours a glass for himself. 

Liam stands up and walks over to put his now empty plate in the sink.

"I'm just saying, maybe try not being so mushy with each other until I've left the room."

"No promises." Ian told his little brother, sharing a look with Mickey over their rooster mugs.

He'd been in the space Liam was in now. He remembered being annoyed with Fiona and all her boyfriends when he was Liam's age. But he was a grown up now, married to the love of his life, and he knew he and Mickey could try to tone it down; even so, Ian was going to be affectionate with Mickey whenever he got the chance. 

The three of them moved back over to the dining room, Ian and Mickey sat down to finish their toast and eggs.

"Oh. Before I forget, my culinary arts class wants me to bring an old family dish to share as an assignment."

"A what?"

"Like a traditional recipe. We have one, right?"

"We have takeout menus."

"Ian."

"Sorry, Liam. Fiona was too busy taking care of everything to pass down any family recipes we don't have."

"There must be something, didn't our ancestors leave us anything? Alexis Cartwright's grandma left her mom a whole cookbook of family recipes going back to the 70s."

"Good for Alexis Cartwright. Our ancestors left us with mental health issues and high risk of addictive personality disorder."

"I can't be the only kid without a family dish to share. Mickey, do you have anything that can help?"

Ian didn't mean any harm by it but he couldn't help but laugh. The idea of the Milkoviches having family dinners was ridiculous. 

Mickey leaned over and playfully smacked his husband on the arm. He turned his attention back to Liam. 

"When do you need this?"

"At the end of the week on Friday. I need a dish, a recipe, and enough to share with a class of 19 other kids plus the teacher."

Mickey took a moment to think.

"Hm. I might have one thing I know how to make."

"You do?" Ian asked.

Mickey gave him a look, not missing the astonishment in his voice.

"Vareniki." Mickey told Liam.

"Huh?"

"What's that?" 

"Ukrainian dumplings. My mom made it with me a few times. When I was younger."

Ian softened. Mickey hadn't mentioned his mom since their wedding day.

"I don't think we have any of the stuff we'll need to make them," Mickey said, handing Ian the empty plates as he cleared the table. "We’re gonna have to go to the store after you get off school and we get home from work."

"Thanks Mickey." Liam said.

Ian walked back over to them, car keys held in his hand. 

"You ready to go?" 

"Uh-huh." Liam replied, grabbing his backpack, running through the living room and out the front door.

Ian and Mickey followed him out of the house, driving him to school then leaving for work. 

Later that evening after they’d all gotten home and relaxed for a bit, Ian found himself at some upscale West Side grocery store pushing a shopping cart as Mickey helped Liam find all the things they’d need to make for the vareniki. 

“Mick.”

“Huh?”

“Couldn’t we have gotten this stuff from the corner store down the street from us?”

Mickey shook his head.

“Hell no. We’re making vareniki, we need the best, high quality ingredients we can get our hands on.”

“But Liam doesn’t need them until Friday.”

“So? We can do some practice runs.”

“Practice runs.”

“Yeah, you know. Make a couple batches to practice with, then on Friday he can bring in the ones that came out the best.”

That...was actually a good idea. Ian pressed a kiss to Mickey’s cheek, enjoying the way his husband smiled at him.

“Look, I haven’t made these things since I was like, 12. I’m going off memory alone here; I want them to come out as at least edible so the kid can get a decent grade.”

“No, I get that. I think it’s cool that you care so much. And that you have something you shared with your mom. Y'know I think I remember having some of them once.”

"No shit, when?"

"Way back. Um. After you were in juvie for the first time because of me. Mandy and I had them for lunch, on a day when your mom took Iggy and Colin to visit you."

"Oh, yeah, that was a couple days after you came to see me."

"You remember that?"

"Yeah, man. I remember every time you came to visit me."

Ian smiles at Mickey, not for the first time that day he felt warm affection towards the man in front of him. He must have had a lovesick expression on his face because Mickey looked at him with adoration shining in his beautiful bright blue eyes, he pulled him in by the collar to kiss him, his lips soft and inviting against Ian’s. After a few seconds they pulled apart, lost in each other's eyes.

"Ian! Mickey! This lady says her register is open!"

The two of them looked over at where Liam stood, waving them over.

"Come on" Ian says, wrapping an arm around Mickey, "Let's go home."

It had been fun, watching Mickey teach Liam how to make different kinds of vareniki with savory and sweet fillings. Ian had made a couple batches with them, some turning out delicious, others they had to throw away. Friday had come and gone, and Liam had gotten an A+ on his assignment.


	4. Chapter 4

Summer had just begun, in June on a Saturday in the late morning Ian and Mickey had dropped Liam off at Lip's new place. The entire family had planned a summer vacation to Disneyworld including a road trip once the kids had been a bit older to appreciate the experience, and this was the year they were going.

"You guys sure you don't wanna go?" Lip asked as he stood next to their car.

Ian shook his head. 

"Nah. Next time. Mick and I have someone important to see."

"Okay. Well just text me or Tami once you get there, yeah?"

“Yeah. Hey don’t forget to have fun, this is supposed to be your vacation as much as everyone else’s.”

Lip looked behind him at Liam, Franny, Fred, Amy and Gemma who were running around chasing each other with lightsabers yelling at the top of their lungs.

“We’ll see about that.”

They were headed to the airport after leaving Lip’s place, Mickey driving, Ian sitting shotgun. Mickey had been switching stations, trying to find something to listen to. He came up on the oldies station, The Beach Boys Help Me Rhonda started playing.

“Hell yeah, turn that up!” Mickey exclaimed, turning the volume up on the radio, bopping along to the song.

Ian watched him in astonishment. He knew who The Beach Boys were, he used to cry to Wouldn’t It Be Nice when he was a teenager whenever he got too into his feelings for Mickey. Never in a million years would he think Mickey knew them as well. It was fascinating, watching him light up as he sang along to the chorus while keeping his eyes on the road. Once the song was over, Mickey had stopped singing and bopping, going back to his reserved position from before. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed that Ian was still staring at him.

“What?”

“What, ‘what’? Where did that come from?”

“What, the singing?”

“Yeah! I mean, I didn’t know you knew The Beach Boys. I thought you were just into pop or classic rock.”

Mickey gently shook his head. 

“I don’t normally listen to them. But you know. If they’re on the radio, I’m not gonna change the station. And...that song is important to me.”

“Yeah?” Ian asked, gently encouraging his husband to continue. 

“...Back when my mom was still alive, when I was in elementary school, she used to take me on long car rides to get out of the house. Sometimes it would be just the two of us, or she’d bring my siblings along. We’d just be in the car together, and she’d put in her Beach Boys albums in the CD Reader. Help Me Rhonda was her favorite song, she used to sing it at the top of her lungs and encourage us to sing along with her.”

Ian listened to Mickey’s story, picturing a tiny Mickey in the backseat of a beat up old car, singing along to a song with his mother, having these special moments with her that he kept in his memory even as an adult. 

That had been the longest amount of time Ian had ever heard Mickey speak about Laura Milkovich. Ian didn’t like to bring up Monica, unless he was hit with a wave of grief which wasn’t often, but he was thankful that when it did happen, Mickey always held him and listened to his stories about her, good and bad. 

When it came to Mickey’s own mother, he never talked about her except in rare circumstances; and Ian didn’t ask about her, hoping that Mickey would open up to him about her on his own when he felt comfortable. Mickey was wonderful at sharing things with Ian, and was very vocal about his feelings. But when it came to his mother, Ian knew this was a sensitive subject for him, and he was happy that Mickey chose to talk to him about this.

Mickey turned into the airport parking lot, turning the car off. Ian and Mickey took off their seatbelts, but stayed in the car. Mickey turned to face his husband. He looked warily at Ian.

“What’s with the smile?”

Ian shrugged. 

“Just...that’s the first time in a long while that you’ve mentioned your mom. I think it’s sweet, that you were close with her.”

Mickey laughed softly.

“...I miss her.”

Ian wasted no time reaching over to hug Mickey. Mickey wrapped his arms around him, his breathing shallow. They had both cried in each other’s arms whenever they’d been overwhelmed over the years and needed the love, comfort, and support they readily gave each other. This action was nothing new. But Mickey grieving for his mother, and openly, was. Mickey was always there for Ian when he cried over Monica, of course he’d be there for him as he cried for Laura.

When Mickey was done, he thanked Ian, and tried to wipe at his eyes. Ian gently moved his hands away, and he kissed the tears from Mickey’s face. Mickey relaxed against him, and caressed Ian’s hair, rubbing his thumb across the back of his head.

“You okay?” 

Mickey nodded. 

“No. But I will be.”

They waited a bit longer, until the red splotches across Mickey’s face had disappeared and there was no longer any evidence that he’d been crying. And then they were ready, and made their way to their flight.

Ian fell asleep against Mickey’s shoulder in business class, holding his hand the entire time he napped. The flight lasted less than three hours, before they knew it they were in New York. An uber had taken them to an address on the Upper East Side, and now they stood side by side in front of a high rise.

Ian wore a dark red flannel shirt, blue jeans, and black sneakers. Mickey wore a black tank top, a dark grey hoodie with the sleeves cut off, black jeans, and black work boots. Both men carried navy blue backpacks. Ian held his phone in his hand, texting a message.

“You sure we’re at the right place?”

“Yes Mick.”

“Okay, but, are you sure she’s home?”

“According to the most recent text she sent me, yes.” Ian replied, pocketing his phone.

“Are you sure-”

“Mickey!” Ian held his hand, centering him, “We’ve both been texting her for the past 5 months since we got back in contact with her. There’s no reason to be nervous.”

“No, I know. Can’t help it, though. The way we left things, and...I haven’t seen her since…”

Ian nodded understandingly, squeezing his love’s hand.

“I know. Things were rough, the last time I saw her too. But things are different now. We’re different, and so is she. Come on. Let’s go inside.”

A short elevator ride up and they were facing a green door with the numbers 103 emboldened on the front in gold, the brass doorknob was shaped like a rose. Both men took a calming breath, then Ian reached out to knock on the door.

They didn’t have long to wait until the door was thrown open. There on the other side stood Mandy, tall, tanned, her hair dyed a golden blonde, the ends curled. Her makeup was perfectly applied, her skin as smooth and clear as Mickey’s. She wore a simple white dress with lilacs embroidered on the bodice. Her feet were covered in lilac colored sandals. She was shiny and new, but still she had the same unmistakable large, clear, bright blue eyes she and Mickey had inherited from Laura. The three of them stood there, staring, taking each other in. No one seemed to be able to speak.

Ian tried to find the words.

“Hey Mandy.” He said, waving awkwardly. 

“Hey Ian.” She greeted him with a wave of her own, then turned to look at her older brother.

“Mickey.” 

“Mandy.”

There was a pause, and then Mandy threw herself against him, and Mickey caught his sister, their arms wrapped tightly around each other, they hugged in the hallway, all the emotions from the past few years caught up with them, and they both cried in relief. 

Ian watched them, feeling his own tears falling down his face. Both Milkovich siblings heard his crying and they pulled him into their hug. When they’d calmed down, Mandy brought them into her apartment.

Her space was open and clean, with art everywhere and comfy furniture, the entire west wall was made of glass, giving them plenty of natural light. They sat down on a green sofa, Ian and Mickey left their backpacks at their feet.

“You guys get here okay?” Mandy asked.

“Uh-huh. Mandy, this place is amazing.” Ian told her. 

She grinned at the place. 

“Yeah, I like it.”

She faced Mickey, a somber expression on her face.

“I’m sorry, Mickey. I’m sorry that I didn’t try to get in contact with you earlier.”

“Hey, knock that shit off. You’ve got nothing to apologize for, okay? I should’ve-” He took a moment to refocus. “I should’ve done more to protect you.”

“Me too.” Ian added.

Mandy sighed. “We can’t change what happened to us. The past is the past, you know? All we can do is make the most of the present. That’s what my therapist tells me anyway.”

Ian thought that was good advice. Simple, but good.

“Can’t believe you two are married.”

Mandy grabbed Mickey’s hand, admiring the wedding band on his ring finger.

“Well believe it, we had a ceremony and everything.” Mickey grinned at her.

Mandy shoved him, then stood up. “I’ve got a surprise for you two. Stay right there.”

She walked down to the end of the space, turning down a corner and disappearing from sight. She returned, hiding something under her arm. She moved her arms, revealing a small grey and white kitten.

Mickey took the kitten, holding it gently as Ian cooed over it, petting its fur.

“I don’t know if you guys remember Kitty Milkovich, but I figured since I was settled in a place of my own, I should get a new pet, and this one reminded me of her.”

Ian and Mickey both gushed over how adorable Kitty Milkovich 2 was.

“Hey, what do you guys want for dinner?

Mickey and Ian shared a smile.

“We can make vareniki.”

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading, please leave feedback


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